Construction activity has started at the site of what will be the 121- megawatt Yarranlea Solar Farm, west of Toowoomba in Queensland. Yarranlea Solar Farm will be developed in four stages and once completed, the project will generate enough electricity to supply the energy needs of the equivalent of up to 32,000 homes.

A kilometre-long solar road has been installed in the Chinese city of Jinan as the country looks to take a leading role in the global energy transition. The road uses 5875 square metres of solar panels that are installed under a glass-like surface that replaces more traditional asphalt. While the concept of solar roads is still in its infancy – with issues such as cost and durability preventing their widespread adoption – a number of countries around the world are investigating the technology, with the Netherlands installing a solar footpath in 2014 and Japan planning to install solar roads as part of its commitment to make the 2020 Tokyo Olympics environmentally sustainable.

A record amount of solar capacity and renewable power was installed across the world in 2017 – as the cost of both wind and solar became competitive with fossil fuels – but it still is not enough, a major new report has found.